Animated toy such as a doll



April 15, 1 J. L. BONANNO ETAL 3,377,740

ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A DOLL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1965 TTORNEYS A ril 16, 1968 J. L. BONANNO ETAL 3,377,740

ANIMATED, TOY SUCH AS A DOLL Filed March 11, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet z' INVENTORS: M055 1. MAMA/N0 PM 21. CAUJMJA/ BY I m @me NEYS . April 1968 J. L. BONANNO ETAL 3,377,740

\ ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A DOLL Filed March 11, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 /40 FIG. 5

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BY M fiAL g ATTORNEYfS United States Patent 3,377,740 ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A DOLL Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, and Dorland L. Crosman, Glen Ridge, N..!., assignors to De Luxe Reading Corp, Elizabeth, N..l., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 439,040 11 Claims. (Cl. 46-419) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Cylindrical housing fits entirely within flexible toy body. Rotatable shaft extends through housing and carries appendages at its ends. Spring tends to rotate shaft. One latch member surrounds and rotates with shaft. Second latch member loosely surrounds shaft, and carries projecting part extending through housing wall. When projecting part is pressed by pressing flexible toy body, second latch member tilts and releases first latch member permitting spring to rotate shaft.

This invention relates generally to animated toys in which there is at least one appendage movable with respect to a body, and has particular reference to an improved mechanism for controlling the movements of such an appendage.

The invention will be described and illustrated in connection with a doll provided with movable arm appendages, but many phases of the invention are applicable to a wide variety of animated toys other than dolls. For example, a dogs tail or a rabbits ears may be controllable in their movements by mechanism of the present improved kind.

A general object of the invention is to provide a device of unusually compact character for placement and use within the confines of a space of small volume. The invention is primarily intended for embodiment in a doll or toy of diminutive size having a one-piece body, and an objectve is to provide a mechanism that can be inserted into, and mounted for permanent enclosure within, such a body.

The improved mechanism is so designed and constructed that it may be introduced in partially disassembled condition through a relatively small opening or openings in a toy body, and brought into completely assembled condition after the parts are inside the body.

Another object of the invention is to impart to such a device the ability to remain at all times properly located within the body of the toy, and to control the movements of one or more appendages, e.g., the arms of a doll, in a reliable manner by an activating means which lies and remains wholly within the confines of the body but is controllable from the exterior thereof.

Another objective is to provide a device whose installation and use leave the toy body unmarred, and retain the mechanism at all times in protected wholly concealed condition.

The improved mechanism comprises, in brief, a springoperated shaft or spindle mounted within the body of the toy for rotative movements on its axis, and means connecting the appendage to be controlled to the shaft through the same opening which served to introduce the mechanism into the interior of the body. The spring is associated with the shaft for urging it constantly in one direction of rotation to a normal position or angularity, and the shaft is movable in the opposite direction to a temporary latched position or angularity from which it may be released by the user of the toy. The latching and releasing means are of novel kind, being composable of relatively simple complementary parts formed of lightweight long-lasting molded plastic. One of the parts encircles the shaft loosely and is tiltable with respect to it. It is so designed that by a tilting action of minute magnitude a latching lug can be readily released from a recess into which it is spring pressed.

It is a feature of the invention to form almost all the parts of the assembly of inexpensive but sturdy plastic of moldable character, whereby the resultant motive unit can be made unusually compact, light in weight, wear resistant, and manufacturable at low cost. High strength plastic of the acetal type is particularly useful for the purpose.

One way of achieving these objects and advantages is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a doll provided with movable arms and embodying the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the controllable mechanism which activates the arms, the movements of the arms being indicated in dotted lines;

'FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of two of the parts, as seen from the opposite direction;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-section of the mechanism in assembled condition, the dimensional relationships being exaggerated for the sake of clarity of illustration;

FIG. 6 is a similar view, in the direction indicated by line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, with the parts in the temporary latched condition;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing the positions of the parts upon activation of the latch release; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views along the lines 9-'9 of FIG. 6 and ill-10 of FIG. 7.

The doll chosen for illustration has a one-piece torso b0dy20 about 3 inches long. It has been shown in association with a head 21, legs 22, and arms 2". It is the arms which are shown activatable by a motive unit 24 located within the body 2t? and conforming to a substantially cylindrical contour with its axis extending between armhole openings 25. The arms shown are intended to move between the normal position depicted in full lines and the temporary position shown in dotted lines. The mechanism becomes latched when the arms are pressed downward by the user to the dotted position, and becomes unlatched when presure is exerted upon the exterior of the body in the direction 26, whereupon the arms are sprung back to their normal disposition.

The parts of which the mechanism unit is composed are shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

A substantially cylindrical housing is formed of a pair of interfitting parts 27 and 28 molded of lightweight thinwalled resilient plastic. The part 27 has a relatively short cylindrical section 29 and an integral end wall 30 with a central aperture 31. The complementary part 28 has a relatively long cylindrical section 32 and an integral end wall 33 (see FIGS. 5*8), the latter being also provided with a central aperture 34. The apertures 31 and 34 are adapted to permit passage of an axial shaft or spindle 35 which is freely rotatable within these apertures but is snugly accommodated to maintain its axial disposition with respect to the housing.

The cylindrical section 29 is dimensioned to fit snugly within the cylindrical section 32. The latter is provided with openings 36 near its inner end and the section 29 has correspondingly located lugs 38. When the sections 27, 28 are telescoped together, the lugs 38 cause the section 32, temporarily to expand in a resilient manner. The slit or cut-Out 37 permits this to occur. As the lugs 38 pass the inner ends of openings 36 the section 32 resumes its normal shape whereby the lugs 38 snap into the openings 36 and thereby lock the sections 27 and together.

The part 27 also has a tongue 39 adapted to fit snugly into the slit 37, whereby the parts 27 and 28 are held against relative rotation. Projecting from the tongue 39 is a lateral post 40. When the parts are introduced into the body 26 the post 40 is adapted to project upward into the neck of the doll thereby serving as a means for engaging the doll body to lock the cylindrical housing (i.e., the entire motive unit 24) against rotation.

The parts 27 and 28 have enlarged cylindrical ends 41 lying outward beyond the respective end walls and 33. These ends 41 have outwardly flaring inner surfaces. They fit snugly against the armhole openings 25 in the body 20, and serve as bearings within which correspondingly shaped parts on the arms 23 may he rotatably accommodated. The upper ends of the arms are connected to the projecting ends of the shaft by bushings (not shown) mounted in the arms and tightly secured to the shaft ends. The shaft is preferably square in cross-section, and the bushings may be squared to fit snugly on it.

Coaxially mounted on the shaft 35 are elements 43, and 44. The element 42 is a spool-like part having a smaller-diameter cylindrical end region 45, a larger-diameter cylindrical opposite end region 46, and a tapered conical region 47 in between. The region 45 has a squared axial opening 48 to fit snugly and non-rotatively on the shaft 35. The regions 46 and 47 have inner diameters which are larger than the shaft 35 so that a small compression spring 50 may be accommodated (see FIGS. 58). The region 46 is provided on its inner surface with a pair of longitudinal slots 51 (see FIG. 4) which form apertures 52 on the outer face of the conical region 47.

Mounted on the region 47 is a torsion spring 53 having one end anchored in one of the apertures 52 and the other end anchored in one of the openings 36 in the cylindrical housing. The spring 53 constantly urges the spool element 42, and the shaft 35 with it, in one direction. This direction is clockwise as viewed in FIG. 9.

The element 43 is one of the latching elements. It is substantially cylindrical and has a circular bore 54 allowing free passage through it of the shaft 35. Longitudinal ribs 55 are located to slide within the slots 51 in the element 42. Through the interengagernent of the slots 51 and ribs 55 the element 43 is constrained to rotate with spool element 42 and shaft 35.

At its opposite end the latch element 43 is provided with integral formations which define a recess 56 in the end surface 57 (see FIG. 4) and a peripheral recess of V appreciable arcuate extent lying between opposed abutment shoulders 58 and 59 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

The other latching element 44 has a part 6t) encircling the shaft 35 and a projecting part 61 lying at an acute angle to the shaft axis and extending outwardly through an opening 62 in the housing part 28. The opening 62 may be directly alongside of, and may merge with, one of the openings 36 (FIG. 3). The element 44 is tiltable with respect to the shaft 35. For example, in FIG. 7 the element 44 is disposed with the inner face 63 of the part 6t) parallel to and flush against the end surface 57 of the element 43; in FIGS. 6 and 8 the part has been tilted. On the face 63 there is a lug 64 which can move into the recess 56 when the element 43 rotates to bring the recess 56 into axial alignment with the lug 64. The lug is urged into the recess by the action of the compression spring 56.

Also formed on the element 44 is an abutment 65 presenting one face toward the shoulder 53 and the other toward the shoulder 59.

Whenever the shaft 35 is in its normal position (doll arms forward as in full lines in FIG. 1) the shoulder 59 rests against the abutment 65 as shown in FIG. 9, thus limiting the movement of the shaft 35 in the direction in which the torsion spring 53 is urging it. Under these circumstances the latch element 44 is tilted and the lug 64 is not in alignment with recess 5s and simply presses against the end face 57 of element 43.

When desired, the user of the toy may swing the arms 23 into the temporary angularity shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. In terms of shaft rotation, this maneuver rotates the shaft 35 counter-clockwise from the position of FIG. 9 to that of FIG. 10. The movement is limited by the fact that the shoulder 58 encounters the abutment 65, and as this disposition of the shaft is attained the ing 64 is spring-pressed into the recess 56 thereby latching the mechanism. It becomes unlatchcd when pressure is exerted upon the projecting part (from the exterior of the doll body) to tilt the element 44 into the position shown in FIG. 8. The toy body is made of form-retaining material, but it embodies sufiicient flexibility to permit the actuating pressure to be transmitted to the projection 61. By thus lifting the lug 64 from the recess 56 the element 43 is free to rotate back to its normal angularity (FIG. 9) under the urgence of the torsion spring 53. This causes the arms 23 to return to their normal position.

The ease with which the several elements may be assembled, and the mechanism introduced into the doll body in partially assembled condition through the armhole openings, and the manner in which the assembly may then be completed by merely telescoping the housing parts 27 and 28 into interfitted and interlocked engagement, will be apparent from the description given.

As hereinbefore stated, the invention is not limited in its applicability to any particular kind of animated toy. While a doll has been illustrated and described, and while the arms of the doll have been chosen as the appendages to be activated, other kinds of toys may obviously be animated and controlled in a similar fashion, and appendages of various kinds can be associated with a compact low-cost mechanism of the character described. In general, it will be understood that many of the structural details described and illustrated may be modified by those skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an animated toy of the character described:

a hollow body provided with an opening,

a cylindrical housing rigidly secured within the body and having an end located at said opening,

a shaft extending axially through said housing and mounted therein for rotative movement on its axis,

an appendage having an end adapted to fit rotatably in said opening and provided with means for connectit to the end of said shaft for animation by rotative movement of the latter,

a spring operatively interposed between the housing and shaft for constantly urging the shaft in one direction,

means for preventing shaft movement in the springurged direction beyond a normal position,

said shaft being rotatable in the opposite direction by activation of said appendage to a temporary position, and

a releasable latch mechanism within said housing for retaining the shaft in its temporary position, said latch mechanism including a first element rotatable with said shaft and having a recess, a second element loosely mounted on said shaft, said second element carrying a lug movable in the direction of the shaft axis when said second element is tilted, whereby said lug can move into and out of said recess when said lug and recess are axially aligned, and a part projecting from said second element through the wall of said housing, said part being arranged at an acute angle to the axis of said shaft and being movable from the exterior of said body toward said housing to cause tilting of said second element and axial movement of said lug.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1, in which said releas- 5 able latch includes a spring urging said lug to a latching position within said recess, activation of said projecting part tilting said lug-carrying part away from latching position.

3. A toy as defined in claim 2, in which said body has a flexible wall and in which said projecting part lies directly behind said wall for activation when pressure is applied to said wall.

4. A toy as defined in claim 2 in which said last-mentioned spring is a coiled compression spring coaxial with said shaft.

5. A toy as defined in claim 4 in which said spring is located to bear axially against said first element.

6. A toy as defined in claim '1, in which said means for preventing shaft movement beyond a normal position comprises an abutment on said second element and another recess in said first element, the latter recess being of appreciable arcuate extent corresponding to the areuate movement of the shaft between its normal and temporary positions, said recess providing a shoulder at one end which is constantly in arcuate alignment with said abut ment.

7. An animated toy as defined in claim 1, in which said shaft has a squared cross-section and said first element is a spool element with an aperture therein, said housing having a similar aperture, said spring comprising a torsion spring mounted coaxially on said spool element and having its opposite ends anchored in said apertures respectively.

8. In a doll of the character described:

a hollow body provided with arm openings,

a cylindrical housing extending across the body between said arm openings and provided with means engaging the doll body to lock the housing against rotation on its axis.

a shaft extending axially through said housing and mounted therein for rotative movement on its axis,

doll arms having upper ends adapted to fit rotatably in said arm openings and provided with means for connecting them to the ends of said shaft,

a spring operatively interposed between the housing and shaft for constantly urging the shaft in one direction,

means for preventing shaft movement in the springurged direction beyond a normal position in which the arms are at a selected angularity to the doll body.

said shaft being rotatable in the opposite direction by activation of said arms to a temporary position in which the arms are at a selected different angularity, and

a releasable latch mechanism within said housing for retaining the shaft in its temporary position, said latch mechanism including a first element rotatable with said shaft and having a recess, a second element loosely mounted on said shaft, said second element carrying a lug movable in the direction of the shaft axis when said second element is tilted, whereby said lug can move into and out of said recess when said lug and recess are axially aligned, and a part projecting from said second element through the wall of said housing, said part being ar- (-5 ranged at an acute angle to the axis of said shaft and being movable from the exterior of said body toward said housing to cause tilting of said second element and axial movement of said lug.

9. A doll as defined in claim 8, in which the doll body has a flexible wall adjacent to said housing and including a spring urging said lug into engagement with said recess said engagement occurring when the shaft is rotated to its temporary position, and said projecting part being located directly behind said flexible wall for effecting release of said engagement when pressure is applied to said wall and through it to said projecting part.

10. In a doll of the character described:

a hollow body provided with arm openings,

a cylindrical housing extending across the body between said arm openings,

a shaft extending axially through said housing and mounted therein for rotative movement on its axis,

said housing comprising a pair of interfitting parts molded of light-weight resilient plastic, each part having a cylindrical section and an integral end wall, the latter having a central aperture for snug passage through it of one end of said shaft, one of said cylindrical sections having openings near its inner end and a slit between them to allow temporary resilient expansion of the section, the other cylindrical section being adapted to fit snugly therein and having lugs adapted to snap into said openings and thereby lock said sections together,

doll arms having upper ends adapted to fit rotatably in said arm openings and provided with means for connecting them to the ends of said shaft,

a spring operatively interposed between the housing and shaft for constantly urging the shaft in one direction,

means for preventing shaft movement in the springurged direction beyond a normal position in which the arms are at a selected angularity to the doll body,

said shaft being rotatable in the opposite direction by activation of said arms to a temporary position in which the arms are at a selected different angularity, and

a releasable latch for retaining the shaft in its temporary position.

11. A doll as defined in claim It in which said other cylindrical section has a tongue fitting snugly into said slit and a lateral post extending from said tongue and serving as a means for engaging the doll body to lock the housing against rotation.

References Cited UNETED STATES PATENTS 2,297,759 10/1942 Fornas 46-429 2,942,377 6/1960 Beebe 46l 19 3,264,779 8/1966 Bonnano 46-l20 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Exalitirier.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

